Breiðafjörður Bay
Breiðafjörður is a wide, shallow bay and protected nature reserve in West Iceland, stretching 125 kilometres between the Snæfellsnes Peninsula to the south and the Westfjords to the north. It contains somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 islands, depending on the state of the tide, as the pronounced tidal fluctuations mean the final count shifts constantly. The bay is one of the richest marine ecosystems in Iceland, supporting large populations of seabirds including puffins and one of the country's most significant concentrations of white-tailed eagles, alongside harbour and grey seals, porpoises, dolphins, and occasional minke whales and orcas. Flatey, the only permanently inhabited island, sits roughly halfway across the bay and was home to the writing of the Flateyjarbók, one of the most important medieval manuscripts in Iceland.
Iceland's Great Western Bay, with Thousands of Islands, White-Tailed Eagles, and a Medieval Manuscript Written Mid-Crossing
Breiðafjörður means the wide fjord, a name that understates the scale somewhat: the bay is 50 kilometres across at its widest and 125 kilometres deep, making it the second largest bay in Iceland. Its shallow depth and extensive mudflats and rocky shorelines create ideal conditions for shellfish, which in turn support one of the most productive marine food chains in the country. The oldest rocks at the bay's northern entrance, on the southern edge of the Westfjords, are among the oldest in Iceland at around 15 million years old. The bay was designated a nature reserve in 1995, restricting development and protecting the habitats that support its wildlife populations. On clear days, Snæfellsjökull glacier is visible from the Westfjords shore across the full width of the bay, one of the more dramatic long-distance views in Iceland.
White-tailed eagles, Iceland's largest bird of prey with a wingspan of up to 2.4 metres, are more reliably seen in and around Breiðafjörður than almost anywhere else in the country. The bay's islands provide undisturbed nesting sites and the rich food supply of the shallows supports year-round residence. Puffins nest on many of the outer islands in summer. Harbour and grey seals are present throughout the year on the rocky skerry islands closer to the shore. Boat tours from Stykkishólmur explore the inner islands of the bay, offering close-range wildlife watching alongside shellfish tasting and guided explanations of the bay's ecology. The medieval manuscript Flateyjarbók, written on Flatey island in the 14th century, documents Norse kings' sagas and is one of the most significant historical texts from the Icelandic medieval period.
The Baldur ferry crosses Breiðafjörður between Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Brjánslækur on the Westfjords shore, a crossing of about two and a half hours. The ferry stops at Flatey island in both directions, allowing passengers to disembark for a few hours before continuing. It operates daily in summer and less frequently in winter, and serves as the primary link for travellers connecting Snæfellsnes with the Westfjords without the long road route around the bay. Stykkishólmur is the main access point for boat tours of the bay and the ferry terminal. From Reykjavík, Stykkishólmur is about two hours north along Route 54.
